An electric vehicle is a vehicle that includes an electric propulsion system. The electric propulsion system may include an electric motor and a battery. Hybrid vehicles may also include a combustion engine as well as a regenerative power system that transfers excess power from the combustion engine to the electric propulsion system.
Electric vehicles may be charged by a charging station. The charging systems may be placed in parking garages, parking lots, or consumer homes. The electric vehicle may be electrically coupled to the charging station using a cord. Depending on the electrical input to the charging system, which may vary in amplitude and in number of phases, different charging stations may be capable of charging the electric vehicle in different amounts of time.
Inductive charging systems may be developed in which no cord between the charging station and the electric vehicle is necessary. For example, inductive charging systems may be imbedded in the ground (e.g., concrete or asphalt) below a parking spot in a garage or parking lot. Electricity flowing through the inductive charging system may inductively charge a battery in the electric vehicle. Inductive charging system may also be imbedded in roadways and charge electric vehicles while the vehicles are traveling on the roadways. Charging systems in roadways are a scarce resource that can be managed in order to benefit a maximum number of electric vehicles.